Nine lives
by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies
Summary: One-shot, sequel to 'Made to be broken'. Cyara has a boyfriend and Elphaba wants to find out if he is trustworthy... but what happens when she gets caught? Fiyeraba, of course.


**AN: Two one-shots in two days! Aren't you spoilt :P.**

**This is just a fun little something I wrote a few months ago. It's been sitting in my documents ever since; yesterday I came across it again, and I decided to patch it up a little and post it, since I still rather liked it.**

**It's a one-shot sequel to _Made to be broken_, set somewhere after Morrible was defeated (and also after my other one-shot sequel, _Sleeping beauty_), but before Elphaba and Fiyero's marriage.**

**I hope you like it - feel free to leave me a review! :)**

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Elphaba really had no clue as to why she was doing this.

Okay, she did. It was her own fault. It had been her own idea – the others didn't even know of it – and she had made all the arrangements herself. But still. It was so unlike her to do anything like this. Perhaps she was going insane. Or she was just being paranoid. It was probably the latter. But, really, after everything she'd been through, could she be blamed for being slightly paranoid? For being a bit overprotective?

Overprotective up to the point where she was hiding under a closet to keep a close eye on one of her friends to prevent her from getting hurt?

No. She didn't think she could be blamed for that. Sure, what she was doing was intrusive and impolite, downright rude even; to invade someone's privacy like this… but it served the greater good, didn't it? Keeping her friend safe? Wasn't there a saying about that – the end justifies the means?

So, that was it, then. The end justified the means. Even _these _means.

Having reached that conclusion made her feel slightly less like a creepy stalker and so she settled down more comfortably, curling up and waiting, ever waiting. Soon, her patience was rewarded when she heard the door open and click shut again and two sets of legs entered the room.

She couldn't see faces from her spot under the closet, but she could still define which one was her soon-to-be sister-in-law and which one was said soon-to-be sister-in-law's boyfriend. Or at least, she didn't think the boyfriend would ever wear heels.

Not that she had thought Cyara to be the high heels type. The fact that the blonde girl was wearing those heels anyway did little to reassure the dark-haired witch. Apparently, Cyara was really into this guy – if she was even dressing up for him… all the more reason for Elphaba to continue her mission and determine whether the boy was trustworthy or not.

When Fiyero had first told her that his little sister had found herself a boyfriend, Elphaba had been genuinely thrilled. The small blonde girl deserved a nice guy in her life, and she was nearly eighteen now; wasn't that the perfect age for dating?

But when she had thought about it later, doubts had started to set in. Fiyero and Glinda hadn't really helped, either; they had spurted all kinds of conspiracy theories.

"She's my baby sister, Fae!" Fiyero had said when she had sternly told him to shut up and leave Cyara be. "As her older brother, it's my job to protect her! What if he has bad intentions? What if he's going to hurt her?"

Glinda's eyes had widened. "Or worse. What if he is possessed by Morrible's ghost?" the blonde had demanded. "What if she's come back from the afterlife again to haunt us and try to kill us and make our lives miserable?"

Fiyero had frozen up.

"Could that happen?"

"No, that cannot happen!" Elphaba had told them in exasperation. "Morrible is dead and the boy Cyara is dating is exactly that – a boy!"

Athul had agreed with her on the subject. "He seems nice enough," he had said. "And Cyara looks happy. Just leave them alone. Even if he does hurt her, that's something she'll learn from. Bad experiences are part of life, after all."

That, of course, had done nothing to reassure either Glinda or Fiyero. And then Elphaba had started mulling over it as well.

What if Cyara's new boyfriend _was _evil? She didn't believe Morrible's ghost could come back to possess people – after all, that wasn't possible… was it? – but perhaps he was a sorcerer or a wizard. Or just a playboy. Someone who was only looking for a little adventure and would break Cyara's heart when he was done.

Or he could be a criminal. A thief. A murderer. A rapist.

Which was why she was here right now.

With everything that had happened, she had grown to love Cyara like her own sister and she was very protective of her. She didn't want her to get hurt.

So she decided that she should do what big brothers and sisters did for their younger siblings: protecting them. Protecting their lives, if it came to that, or else protecting their hearts.

And since Fiyero was merely human and did not have the ability to spy on his little sister without her noticing him, the job had fallen down to Elphaba. Or that was how she felt, anyway. She had followed the boy around almost every day for a little over a week now, studying his every move, alertly watching for any sign that something was wrong. So far, she hadn't seen anything bad; he just seemed like a regular boy. But she wasn't willing to give up just yet. She wanted to see him and Cyara together.

She heard the blonde girl giggle. "I really had an amazing night, Gico," she said shyly, and the boy moved closer to her. She could see Cyara leaning into him and she heard sounds that made it painfully clear that they were sharing a passionate kiss.

"I did, too, Cy," the boy said. They moved to sit down on the couch, allowing Elphaba to get a better look at them. The closet was far enough away from the couch so that she could see them both entirely, now that they were sitting.

The boy, Gico, wasn't bad-looking, she had to admit. He looked a little like Fiyero – muscular, with strongly defined facial features. His hair was black and his eyes were dark brown, though, with a slightly darker complexion than the average Ozian. Elphaba assumed he was from the southern Vinkus, where most people looked like that.

Cyara and Gico started kissing again, and Elphaba squeezed her eyes shut. Sweet Oz, why was she doing this again? This was _so _awkward. She cursed herself for ever thinking of this stupid idea in the first place, but there was no going back now. She could never get out of here unseen.

"Cyara?" the boy suddenly asked, and Elphaba perked up at the sudden serious tone of his voice. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Was this it? Was he going to reveal it to Cyara now? That he was going to rape her? Kill her? Magic-spell her? Break her heart?

"I need to tell you something."

No, that didn't sound good. Elphaba made a low growling sound in the back of her throat. It was a good thing she'd come here. She braced herself, ready to jump out and protect Cyara if need be.

"What is it, Gico?" the blonde girl asked, perching in his lap, her arms locked around his neck.

He moved his hand up to her face to brush a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek as he did so. "I… I'm not sure how to say this," he confessed, and Elphaba resisted the urge to snort. _I bet you're not. Bastard. I swear to you, if you hurt her…_

"You can tell me anything, Gi. You know that." Cyara softly kissed him again, apparently giving him the courage to say whatever it was that he wanted to say, because she heard him take a deep breath.

"Cyara…" He took her hands in his. "We've been together for three weeks now," he said quietly. "And I know this might seem really soon, but… but what I'm feeling for you is something I've never felt for anyone else before. I… I think I love you."

Elphaba was gawking at the couple. _Oh_. That was most definitely not what she had been expecting.

She scrambled backwards a little, hiding in the shadows underneath the closet. It seemed like her assistance wasn't really needed here.

Cyara just kissed Gico again in response. "Really?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded, and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I think I love you, too." She closed her eyes for a moment.

Elphaba felt like kicking herself. Okay, so she had been completely wrong. Gico was most likely trustworthy. She felt a bit embarrassed now, but she sternly kept telling herself that she had only done this to try and keep Cyara safe. Yes, she was overprotective and a bit paranoid, but it was better to be too careful than too reckless regarding the blonde girl's safety… right?

The answer to that came when Cyara opened her eyes again… and looked straight at Elphaba.

She immediately shrieked and leapt to her feet. "What _is _that?!"

Elphaba tried to hide away, but there was nowhere she could go.

"What is what?" Gico asked.

Cyara pointed a trembling finger at the closet. "I saw… I saw eyes! There's something underneath that closet!"

Gico dropped down onto his knees and looked under the closet. Then he smiled.

"We have a guest, Cy," he announced, before reaching out towards Elphaba. "Hey there, little one. How did you get into Cyara's room?"

Elphaba hissed and swatted at his hand. He quickly pulled it away, but stayed down on his knees. "It's alright, kitty, I'm not going to hurt you."

Elphaba resisted the urge to moan. Not the 'kitty' thing again!

"Who in Oz are you talking to?" Cyara demanded, and Gico looked up at her.

"It's just a cat," he said. "Must have sneaked into your room while you were away… or maybe Glinda found her on the streets and took her back home, or something."

"A cat? I've been living here in Glinda's mansion with the others for months already, and I've never seen a -" Cyara cut herself off and her eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Gico… what does that cat look like?"

The tone of her voice told Elphaba enough. She gulped. Busted.

Gico opened his mouth to reply, but Cyara was quicker.

"Is it black?"

He looked surprised. "How did you know? I thought you just said you've never seen a cat in the house before…"

"Midnight black with emerald green eyes?" Cyara continued, her voice low.

"Yes, but-"

"I don't _believe_ this!" Cyara ducked down underneath the closet and yanked a heavily struggling Elphaba out from underneath it. "_Elphaba!_" she yelled in the cat's face.

Elphaba desperately tried to save herself. "Meow?"

"Don't give me that crap, Elphaba," the blonde girl grumbled. "I know it's you! What were you _thinking_?!" Her eyes widened. "Were you spying on Gico and me?"

"It wasn't like that, I swear!" Elphaba wailed, but Cyara would have none of that. She was still holding Elphaba by the scruff of her neck and started shaking her.

"You're unbelievable! Did Fiyero put you up to this?"

"No, I did it by myself – please stop shaking me, I think my intestines are switching places," she begged, but Cyara didn't seem too impressed.

"You should have thought of that _before _you hid underneath my closet!" she said angrily.

"I just wanted to make sure you were safe!"

Cyara heaved a sigh. "Sweet _Oz_, Elphaba."

Gico, meanwhile, was just staring at the two of them. He pointed at the black cat. "Are you saying that's Elphaba?" he asked. "Your brother's fiancée?"

Cyara nodded. "I told you she's a witch, didn't I?" She glared at Elphaba. "In every sense of the word, apparently."

Gico just whistled. "Cool."

"That's not cool!" Cyara protested. "She was spying on us!" She glared at Elphaba again. "What, did you think Gico was a serial killer, or something?"

"He might have been," Elphaba defended herself weakly, and Cyara grumbled something unladylike and, still holding Elphaba by the scruff of her neck, stomped out of the room.

"Glinda!" she yelled. "Where's the Grimmerie?"

"The Grimmerie?" Elphaba echoed. "What could you possibly want with the Grimmerie?"

Cyara smiled innocently at her. "Well, you need it to change yourself back, don't you?"

Elphaba's eyes were wide. "You wouldn't."

Glinda came into the hallway, carrying the Grimmerie and looking pale. "Cyara? Why do you need the Grimmerie? Is something wrong?" Her eye fell on Elphaba. "Oh my Oz, is that Elphie?! What happened?"

"I found her under my closet," Cyara explained. "She was spying on me and Gico."

"Elphie!" Glinda reprimanded her friend.

"I was trying to help!" the witch protested. "You and Fiyero were so worried about Cyara, and then _I _got worried, and…"

"Glinda," Cyara said, "hide the Grimmerie. Preferably in a safe or a locked room somewhere."

"Cyara!" Elphaba wailed, clawing at the blonde girl's arm. She only succeeded in getting her nails stuck in the sleeve of Cyara's shirt. "Come on, you can't do that!"

"Watch me."

"But I was only trying to help!" Elphaba tried to defend herself. "We were worried – we care about you, Cyara. We just wanted to make sure you were safe!"

"That's very nice of you." Cyara gestured for Glinda to go ahead and take the Grimmerie away, and the older blonde complied. "And I accept your apology."

Elphaba looked at her warily. "Then why do you not seem inclined to call Glinda back and get me the Grimmerie?" she asked.

Cyara grinned. "I'm enjoying this way too much," she declared. "And I still think I need to teach you a lesson. That's why."

She made her way over to the sitting room, where Fiyero was perched on a couch. Cyara then proceeded to unceremoniously drop Elphaba in his lap, making him jump. "What in Oz –"

"Before you say anything else," Cyara interrupted him drily, "I want you to know that this is all her own fault." With that and a wave in Elphaba's direction, she made her way towards the door again. "I'll make sure Glinda gives the Grimmerie back to you in a few days!" she called cheerfully, and Elphaba bristled, her hair and tail rising.

"Cyara!" she yelled. "Get back here right this instant!"

But the blonde girl was already gone.

Elphaba moaned and rested her head on her front paws. "Oz dammit."

Fiyero had both his arms in the air, eyeing the black cat in his lap warily. "Fae?"

She hissed softly. "The one and only. Unfortunately."

"Why are you a cat again?" he asked, puzzled. His expression changed to one of concern. "Did something happen? What did Cyara mean, it's your own fault?"

She sighed deeply. "Well… I may have spied on her new boyfriend in the form of a cat," she confessed. "To make sure she was safe… You and Glin were so worried, and then I started to get worried, too, and, well… let's just say she found out, and she wasn't too happy about it."

He looked at her in amazement. "You did that?"

She mewed. "I'm sorry, okay? I know it was suspicious and rude of me, and I shouldn't have done it; but I was worried, and –"

"Hey, hey," Fiyero cut her off, slowly stroking her fur from her head to the tip of her tail. "You don't have to explain yourself. I understand. I might have done the same if I had been able to," he confessed. He smiled at her. "And I love that you're so protective of my little sister."

She looked up at him. "Really?"

"Really." He kissed the top of her head and continued to slowly stroke her fur, inadvertently making her purr. He grinned, but didn't say anything.

Just then, Glinda poked her head around the door. She smiled when she saw the two together. "Hey." She frowned. "Elphie, are you _purring_?"

The sound immediately stopped. Glinda giggled.

"Shut up," Elphaba muttered, embarrassed.

"I won't breathe a word to anyone," her blonde friend promised with another giggle. She held out an object. "I just came to get you this."

Elphaba's ears and tail immediately rose into the air in interest. "The Grimmerie?"

Glinda winked. "I thought it was a little mean of Cyara to let you stay in cat form for days… though I do hope you've learnt your lesson," she added a little sternly.

Elphaba jumped to her feet and rubbed her head against Glinda's hand gratefully. "Thanks, Glin."

Glinda giggled again. "You're welcome." With another pet to Elphaba's head, she left in a flurry of skirts.

Fiyero opened the Grimmerie for Elphaba and she peered at the words, slowly pronouncing them. A strange feeling enveloped her and she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was still sitting in Fiyero's lap, only in human form now; and she had to lock her arms around his neck quickly to prevent herself from falling off.

He grinned at her. "Well, hello there."

She was blushing. "This was so much less awkward when I was still in cat form."

"What, you think it's awkward to sit in the love of your life's lap?" he teased her.

She scowled. "Aren't we cocky. What makes you think you're the love of my life?"

He grinned at her. "Oh, I don't know. Let's find out, shall we?" He lifted her up in his arms bridal style and his breath tickled the hair in her neck as he whispered into her ear, "Do you want me to say something even cockier?"

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "If you insist."

He leant forward conspiratorially and murmured, his grin even wider than before, "Let's see if I can make you purr again."

Her indignant cries mingled with his laugher as he carried her over to their bedroom.


End file.
